Foamtopia
Famous for extravagance and wild foam-parties, this is a nation of French luxury and sass. With the national slogan asking, "voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” Foamtopia is about indulgence and constant celebration. Etymology The origins of the "foam" portion of the name has been widely in use since the early 1800's after the foam-like substance that formed on the ocean as it crashed onto the cliffs or beaches. Each New Year's Eve, Foamtopia holds it's infamous Foam Party in Moulin D'Île to signify the washing away of the past, much like the foam washes away in the ocean. Political Information Foamtopia is an unofficial Democracy, without a legal system of Government or Charter. Foamtopia is, and prefers to remain, uninterested in politics or Government. Their system of Government is chosing in a Last-man-Standing drinking game called "What Government Are We This Week", whereby each player represents one of the officially recognised types of Government. Whoever is left upright at the end of the evening has his or her Government type officially decreed the nation Government type for the week. Decisions in Foamtopia are mostly made over various drinking, dancing, or limbo contests. Because of this, no one in Foamtopia is required to lodge formal tax returns, complete any sort of paperwork, vote on anything, or do anything that would contribute to a formal Government or bureaucracy. However, on October 10th each year, Foamtopia celebrates Le jour sans Vin (The Day of No Wine) by refusing alcoholic beverages for an entire 24 hours in order to commemorate a historic day in 1942 in which a shortage of alcohol meant citizens were forced to consider formalizing Government and procedures on the island. It is the only day that the nation's "ruler" Ouvrière de Classe actually does any work, which is mostly to announce locations for celebrations for the next year and to divide funding between the various party planners. See Also: User:Working class ruler Cultural Information There is a stark contradiction in Foamtopian culture, brought on by a seemingly multiple personalities in their society. On one hand, it is a country of liberal partying and debauchery - on the other it is a laid-back, relaxed nation where people do very little. But both of these characteristics make Foamtopia the utopia that it is today. At night, the city comes alive with dancing, drinking and fun; an animal of burlesque dancing, free sex, and the celebration of alcohol. During the day, it is a sleepy, quiet and almost lazy little island, which shuns work for in-depth discussions on love, mixed with shopping and indulgences. Descendants of 18th century Bourgeoisie, Foamtopians are a mixture of self-indulgent extravagates and fun-loving Island folk. Politics, Government, Religion, class, and most matters of concern have no business in Foamtopia - it's culture is instead focused on entertainment, materialism, good champagne, and achieving the finer things in life. Unashamedly drunk and proud of it, Foamtopians know how to party and can drink anyone under the table! Genuinely hospitable, the people are always looking for an excuse to celebrate and to have a good time, inviting anyone along for the ride. They care little about bureaucracy or regulation and prefer not to be burdened with responsibility such as employment or authority. Despite this, their society is strong, well mannered, educated, and friendly. Island-life is instantaneously mellowing and calming, as any tourist will tell you - and a perpetual state of relaxation exists within Foamtopia, and it's reflected amongst the people. If they're not dancing all night for some random occasion, they're generally found discussing love, life, and the joys of wine around a table full of food all afternoon. There is no desire to panic or stress over anything at all. By definition alone, Foamtopians are not aggressive, physical, or interested in war. The whole matter of war is too darned complicated for the likes of this nation, who'd rather settle the whole matter with a drinking contest anyway. Their population thrives thanks to open and free opinions on sex and sexuality, and the whole country can be labelled as "promiscuous." And yet despite this wild side, drugs are strictly forbidden on the island. They may be party animals but Foamtopians also care about their health and shun potentially damaging recreational substances. Everyone in Foamtopia is considered equals of each other, and society thrives on a close-knit and interrelated community. Most never leave the island and have little desire to do so - as no place in the world would compare to this little island paradise. Visitors are treated as friends stopping by, but there are no Hotels. Tourists stay with a family for a few days before moving on - because while you're welcome in Foamtopia to visit and take some time out, the country has no plans to accept immigration or to allow the outside world to taint this little paradise. Their entire tourism industry (while wealthy and a major factor in the island's economy) is based purely on short-trips only. They are happy to open their homes and bars to tourists for a short while but Foamtopia remains untouchable in terms of migration. The only exception being if a hapless young lover falls in love with one of the dances from the Moulin D'Île! The best - and only - way to understand and hope to comprehend the Foamtopian lifestyle is to visit the island and experience it yourself. Only then will you see the amazing celebrations and sleepy afternoons and truly understand the Foamtopian way of life and love. History Bateau des Imbéciles (1719 - 1834) The small island of Foamtopia remained uninhabited and undiscovered until the latter part of the 18th Century, when a small group of French colonists were shipwrecked on the island in 1719. The ship, known as Bateau des Imbéciles, was part of a convey of 3 ships that set sail from mainland France in 1716, on a mission to repopulate the entire country of France in a new land after claims that the entire continent of Europe was about to sink into the ocean due to over-population. The French Government proposed to send all of the population in 3 groups at a time. The first group being the politicians, the Monarchs, the Noblemen, and Priests; the second group (who sailed on the Bateau des Imbéciles) being the Bourgeoisie - the aristocrats, philosophers, mistresses, party planners, artists, and musicians; and in the third ship went the workers and traders, the people who got stuff done. Not long after fleeing France in the Bateau des Imbéciles, the Bourgeoisie lost contact with the other 2 ships and continued sailing happily into the oceans, despite the apparent absence of a map, compass, or any kind of knowledge of where they were going. After 3 long years sailing together (while writing songs, painting pictures, and dedicating celebrations to sailing), the ship finally crashed on a small island in the Southern Ocean on September 22nd, 1719. The Bourgeoisie, however, had no idea that this was just a tiny island and not the promised New World, and promptly set up a bar & tavern to celebrate. The Célébration d'Atterrissage (Celebration of Landing) lasted an amazing 2 years before anyone thought to set up other facilities such as houses, farms, and common infrastructure. Without the Monarchs to deal with all the governing and the Workers to actually get it all done, the Bourgeoisie were relatively slow at developing their new colony and very little got done in the first decade after landing. Apart from the Montmartre (the first tavern built), the colonists built Moulin D'Île (the Island version of the Moulin Rouge) for dancing and debauchery - common activities in early Foamtopian history. By the end of the 18th Century, the Bourgeoisie, had managed to get the necessities of living worked out - often at a slow and very relaxed state. Liquor production was the main resource in the colony, thanks to the generous helping of Sugar Cane fields found in the Southeast region. It wasn't until 1792, however, that someone (while drunk and taking a break from painting), suggested that they name their new region. At this point, the Bourgeoisie had comfortably forgotten that they'd seen nothing of the other 2 ships supposedly about for near 80 years, and put the whole situation down as being far too un-fun to bother thinking about at length. Eventually, after years of discussing and planning celebrations around the discussions, a name was suggested after one plucky Bourgeoisie travelled to the far West of the island and saw how the ocean washing onto the jagged cliffs here created soap suds in the water. The Bourgeoisie promptly returned, got drunk, and forgot all about the soapy suds in the ocean for another 5 years before remembering it in a dream one night after a rather heavy celebration. The name went through many variations during the 19th Century, though most were variations of Suds, Foam, Soap, Froth and Bubbles with "topia" or "land" added at the end. Influence & Change (1835 - 1985) The small island first received outside contact in 1835, when settlers en-route to Australia stopped by in Foamtopia for two decades. The settlers brought news of a stable and vibrant Europe, adding that the continent had not, as yet, sunk into the ocean. The situation caused some concern through some of the sober people, who wondered if they would be better off heading back home so they could invite some friends back for dinner and, of course, drinks. The visitors told them not to bother as most of the outside world wasn't much fun and they were onto a good thing here. The Bourgeoisie agreed and returned to celebrating the fact that they were celebrating. Not long after that first ship of settlers had left, another passed through, and a few years later more followed them. Sick of having to walk all the way out to greet people, a few Bourgeoisie built a Port in the Northern ridges of the Island to welcome passing ships. The Port Bienvenu soon became a vibrant Sail-Thru Wine Shop as the island sold vast quantities of alcohol to passing settlers, developing their first trade export. Finally, after many decades of passing ships, the small island was visited by a French vessel, sent by the French Government to find out exactly what the island had been up to for the past 150 years, arriving on June 6th, 1869. The French Connection, as it was nicknamed, inspected the island and was largely pleased with the Geographical position the island held. It was The French Connection who discovered the vast and plentiful Gems embedded in the North West Caves, setting up a Mining industry to begin exporting the precious jewels back to France. Soon the Bourgeoisie became uncomfortable with the French Connection's over-progressive and generally pushy attitude. They didn't want to have jobs or responsibilities. The entire island had been built on a total lack of regulation and formal Government, and they'd been happy for 150 years. To prevent the French Connection officials from ruining their paradise, the Bourgeoisie invited them all to a Thank You Dinner one evening at the Moulin D'Île, where they proceeded to get the officials blind drunk and surrounded by pretty dancing girls. In the morning, the officials found themselves back on their boat drifting in the middle of the ocean, left wondering if their trip to the island had all been a drunken dream. Upon returning to France, the officials could give no such official report on the Bateau des Imbéciles, unable to remember what exactly had happened. At the celebration of 200 years since the Bateau des Imbéciles crashing, the Bourgeoisie broke with tradition and decided that, in case anyone else came by trying to organise them, they would go ahead and do it themselves, setting an unbelievable 100 year time-frame of completion. As such, they set up the first kind of Government on the island on July 14th 1919, known as the Service de Faire, in order to finally decide on a name, a basic list of things to do, and formalization of themselves as an independent country. Having all agreed on the idea to do so, the group promptly forgot the whole business for another 20 years while they decided they'd done enough work on it so far. During this time, the sugar-wine and Gem trades continued at a relaxed pace and society continued as normal. Land consumption grew as population grew. The original Tavern founded on the island 200 years earlier, Montmartre, became the official Capital City and headquarters of Service de Faire, but no work was established until 1942. The only reason work began one day during 1942 was due during the 24 hour Wine Shortage, thanks to a screw up with the wine delivery, and the entire island went without wine for day. During that day, a general agenda, Government drinking game, and naming process was establishing - all of which was forgotten the day after then wine was flowing again. During the latter half of the 20th century, the small island began to find their Sugar crops growing abundantly well, and soon they began to offload it to the passing ships at the Port, along with their precious Gems, which were also used to make costumes and sets in the Moulin D'Île. The two resources boomed to become their main and only source of income, and kept the island liquored up well and proper. During one celebration in 1984, it has been claimed, the name Foamtopia was official adopted as the defacto island nation name after one landscape painter won a drinking contest with a philosopher over who had the better ability to name the island. Soon, Foamtopia became the only name the island referred to themselves as, and has since been accepted as the official name. The Celebration of the Naming in 1984 is the estimated time in which the future leader of Foamtopia, Ouvrière de Classe, was conceived. In 1985, the would-be ruler was born and like all births, was celebrated in a fortnight-long party. The Rise of Foamtopia (1985 - Present) The rise of Ouvrière de Classe to lead the Service de Faire was simple and easy. After growing up as a Sugar-taster in the Central Plains of Foamtopia, de Classe decided that previous notions of formalizing the Government in Foamtopia was no-doubt a smart idea. He became the first person to leave Foamtopia in 2004, travelling to near-by Valroy to establish a Sugar Trade Agreement. While visiting, he learnt much about Government and structure - the many things that the Bourgeoisie had been unable to teach and pass down - and remained sober long enough to right it all down. Upon returning to Foamtopia, de Classe worked on establishing official recognition with Planet Bob in order to have his country listed as an official, independent nation in the world. Official recognition of Foamtopia came nearly 300 years after first settlement of the island, with Foamtopia becoming a sovereign nation on September 22nd, 2006. Under official documents, Ouvrière de Classe was required to sign his own name as Ruler of the country, though remains as much as an ordinary citizen as every other Foamtopian. With the recognition of their country, Foamtopia was able to establish firm trade routes with neighbouring nations and quickly developed friends in the region. Life in the small island remained, unchanged, however, as parties, extravagance and luxury remained Foamtopia's only goals in life. Ouvrière de Classe, meanwhile, went to work periodically to ensure people were buying their precious gems and sugar, and also placed the Nation within the Mostly Harmless Alliance - an organised group of nations that fitted the relaxed, carefree attitude of Foamtopia. For this efforts as Ruler, Ouvrière de Classe is celebrated in a weeklong party every month of the year. Foamtopia enjoyed success and protection from the Mostly Harmless organization, sending and receiving aid from other nations within the alliance and hosting many celebrations within the country for fellow nation rulers. It was Foamtopia's association with Mostly Harmless that involved them in the epic Third Great War, which commenced on March 19th, 2007, with the Mostly Harmless Alliance sending troops into the conflict on March 22nd, a date that has been commemorated in a national holiday. Foamtopia's part in the war was that of financial aid and encouragement, with the leader of Foamtopia away boosting morale and delivering aid packages to war-torn nations. Hostilities ceased on April 14th, 2007, much to the excitement of the Nation. Foamtopia assisted the rebuilding of fellow nations through generous supplies of finances, alcohol, and dancing girls - marking the first time in history that it involved itself with the outside world. Life returned to peaceful paradise after the War, though Ouvrière de Classe had become more involved internationally and made far more frequent trips oversees. The citizens of Foamtopia held celebrations each time he left and each time he arrived back home. However, unbeknownst to them - a fellow Nation Ruler had taken an envious, hateful dislike to Ouvrière de Classe and Foamtopia, mostly due to the island's success is being virtually a paradise. As such, this Ruler, Yablecki or Petit Garçon (Little Boy) to the Foamtopians, launched attacks on the Foamtopian Island in August, 2007. Thankfully, Yablecki was inept and unskilful in war and Foamtopia was missed by all of his cruise missiles, bombings, and ground troops - most of his attacks landing stupidly in the ocean. Foamtopians mocked and laughed at Yablecki's inability to even fire one direct hit, calling him a foolish child without the intelligence or knowledge to attack properly. Such mockery was increased when Yablecki fired several Nuclear weapons at Foamtopia - all of which missed the island nation and did little damage to Foamtopia. Thanks to aid from the Mostly Harmless Alliance, Foamtopia quickly recovered from the "attacks" and Yablecki was destroyed. War once again ravaged the rest of Planet Bob through The Unjust War, though Foamtopia was prepared with shipments of cash, dancing girls, and exotic gems, remaining free of any such conflict. Each morning, a small group of Foamtopians held a celebration on the beaches of the island as they watched passing Mostly Harmless ships carried troops and tanks to the front line. Once the MHA's contribution to the war was over, Foamtopia celebrated as usual and life went back to usual. The island nation continued to grow and attain new heights, including a 100% literacy rate and enourmous growth in Strength and Infrastucture. Their tourism industy boomed, thanks to the general "Short Stay" policy set out by Ouvrière de Classe to ensure that visitors only stayed for a couple of days, meaning interest in the island met with availability demands. Foamtopia's reputation as a party-nation grew throughout the world and began to host many international events, including the Education Conference, Mostly Harmless Day, and it's massive New Year's Foam parties. In October, 2007, Foamtopia announced plans to increase visitation numbers and widen it's tourism industry to accomodate the world's desire to see the little island nation that lives only to party, and parties just because they're alive. Places and Events of Interest Montmartre Originally the first ever Tavern in Foamtopia, the original Montmartre building was made from wood salvage from the ship wreckage and fashioned into a stylish yet Island-rustic Bar/Lounge for the settles to unwind after their busy day of celebration. As supplies and technology grew, the building was remodelled and expanded several times, always adding more rooms, more bars, and more luxury. When the Service de Faire was established, its very offices were in the Montmartre building, making the club the centre-point of whatever (if any) Government-type work was done. As Montmartre became the hub of island life, more buildings were established in the surrounding area and formalized the Capital City of Foamtopia. Portions of the original Tavern and wood from the ship are featured throughout the building. Moulin D'Île The first every burlesque venue and dance club on the Island, the Moulin D'Île is located in the capital city of Montmartre. Famous for it's energetic and sexy dancers, the club brings patrons from around the world to get that old Mill excitement mixed with Island paradise. The clothes, the choreography, the interior - it all screams sass and luxury. Let the Moulin D'Île take you on a colourful and erotic trip into debauchery, fun, and high-energy performances! École de Danse Foamtopia recently celebrated achieving 100% literacy rate for the country. It now hosts an annual Education Conference in the École de danse (School of Dance), inviting education professionals from around the world to deliver the Foamtopian message. More subdued then most celebrations (though remaining wild in comparison to outsider partiers and, especially, other conferences), the Education Conference has shown how a relaxed, entertaining atmosphere has delivered tremendous results for the children of Foamtopia. The École de Danse is an internationally awarded Dance School, providing University level degrees in dancing, singing, and other areas of the performing arts. Students receive practical industry-based work experience when they spend two years at the Moulin D'Île. Port Bienvenu First established as means to provide liquor to passing ships before they arrived in town, the Port Bienvenu became the hub of trade and tourism during the 19th and 20th centuries. Still a vibrant community of merchants and markets, Port Bienvenu is home of the Foamtopian Economy, with all money made from trade, export and tourism placed in the Party Fund to ensure the fun never stops in Foamtopia. Sugar Cane Fields Located in the South East of the Island, the vast Sugar Cane Fields form a major part of the Foamtopian Economy - responsible to producing the entire island's sugar crop. Farmed by locals, the Sugar Cane is used in the production of alcohol, with a percentage being sold onwards to other countries and passing ships. The Fields hold a significant historical value for the Island, as the crops farmed here ensured the early settlers did not die of thirst from drinking low-quality wine. The Sugar Cane Fields ensure survival and a good drop of wine that supported the colony during its infancy and growth. Gem Mines The Precious Foamtopian Gem is a rare and valuable jewel, praised at 10x the worth of diamonds. The Gems went largely unnoticed until a French inspection party discovered the rich depositions in the North West Caves. A small but happy mining company works occasionally to extract some of the gems from the caves for use in costumes at the Moulin D'Île or for sale in the markets at the Port Bienvenu. The high price of Foamtopian gems come largely from the scarcity of their availability, with miners working only a few times per year, or whenever they feel like it. Beach Party To celebrate the arrival of the Bourgeoisie in Foamtopia, each year the citizens hold a national party on the beaches of Foamtopia. On September 22nd, the entire island celebrates this historic event but nowhere comes more alive than on the Foamtopian Beaches. The entire sand strip is crammed with musicians, rides, games, bars, dancers, and more bars in an event to rival any national holiday in Planet Bob. The Beach Party has a reputation for being the loudest and wildest in all of the nation's many, many parties. Some say you can hear it rocking all night long from the Western shores of Australia. New Year's Foam The only celebration that comes close to challenging the Beach Party is the New Year's Eve Foam Party, held in Moulin D'Île's large main club floor each year. The celebration sees the famous burlesque club filled with foam as all night clubbers dance and party till the New Year. However, this isn't just a chance to get foamy - the Foamtopians believe that the foam in the parties represents the foam from the oceans, which gets washed away with each new wave - a metaphor for how the problems of the past are washed away in the New Year. Education In September, 2007, Foamtopia celebrated the achievement of a reaching a perfect 100% literacy rate - one of few countries to achieve the highest rates in the entire world! This is due largely to the relaxed, yet comprehensive Education system in Foamtopia. Children learn at their own pace in small, relaxed environments. Teaching covers all the important subjects and the education staff is highly intelligent professionals, responsible for building a smarter, more capable generation of children. Foamtopia is proud of its high literacy rate and even hosts annual conferences on its unique teaching style - held on September 11th each year in the École de danse a world-renowned education facility based on entertainment and performance arts. Foamtopia is now a world leader in education and training. Nation Flag The island of Foamtopia officially adopted the following flag as the best representation of the nation under a general referendum held in the Queue for the Toilets in the Montmarte in September, 2007. The red, white, and blue vertical stripes represent the idealogical and cultural background for which Foamtopia is based, while purposely replicating the colours of the French flag. The Red celebrates the coloured lace of dancing girls at Moulin D'Île and the colour of the nation's favorite drink - wine. The White represents the white sandy beaches of Foamtopia and the colour of their plentiful Sugar crop. The Blue represents the calm ocean and broad blue sky that surrounds the island and the colour most reflected in Foamtopia's gorgeous. The figures represent several themes of Foamtopian culture - freedom, dancing, celebration, and mateship.